Anyone who has ever successfully stood up on a surfboard and carved through the water will not deny that it is an unforgettable experience. Gaining mastery of the technique is not easy, (i) _______ It is certainly worth paying for some qualified coaching before you venture into the waves. You should also get advice on what kind of board (ii) _______. The length of the board is a particularly crucial decision.

Inevitably, you will be a bit shaky at first but after you’ve caught your first wave, your (iii) _______will improve. A few more waves, plus the necessary practice to improve your paddling ability, and you will be beginning to derive the kind of enjoyment from this ancient sport that causes (iv) _______normal people to organise their lives around it. Of course, the perfect wave can be elusive but weather should never be a deterrent. The enormous variety of modem wetsuits available (v) _______ you warm and dry whatever the weather.

(iv)______

Health experts suggest that to stay healthy and happy, it’s important to keep our lives in balance. Chinese philosophy, which has spanned thousands of years, uses the principles of yin and yang to explain importance of balance in life. Explained simply, yang represents the active elements of the universe, (i) _______ the yin represents the passive elements. This expresses the importance of balance in all aspects of living. Today health experts agree that it’s important to have a balanced life. For example, they’ve said it’s necessary to have a balance between work and rest and to have a balanced exercise program. (ii) _______, I’m sure you’d agree that in our busy world, it’s not always easy to get and keep balanced in our lives. Due to business or study deadlines, many people work to excess, leaving little time at the end of their busy day to spend with family and friends. They cat fast-food and don’t get enough rest or recreation and then suffer badly from the effects of stress. It’s sad that this situation often is the answer to happen when people believe that access to (iii)   happiness instead of understanding the importance of balanced living.While ambition can be a good thing, having too much ambition can cause a person to become ‘out of balance’. Of course it’s also unbalanced to spend too much time on entertainment and pleasure activities, with little or no time (iv) _______ to work or education. Balance means allocating enough time for all the important aspects of life, such as spending time with family and friends, working or studying, as well as resting and relaxing. Experts now tell US that having balance in our life is the answer, not only to health and happiness, but also to success. If you’re balanced, you’ll have more energy and you’ll reach your ambitions in a more relaxed fashion, with less stress. So  (v) _______ is your life? Do you need to allocate your time differently to have better balance in your life?

(iv)______

The professor (i) _______ the ancient symbol in the course of researeh for a visual history of the 20th century, to be published by the Trecca in Encyclopedia. The first (ii) _______ instance of its use, he says, occurred in a letter written by a Florentine merchant on May 4th, 1536. He says the sign made its (iii) ________  along trade routes to northern Europe, where it came to represent “at the price of” – its contemporary accountancy (iv) _______  . Professor Stabile believes that Italian banks may possess even earlier documents (v) _______ the symbol lying forgotten in their arehives. The oldest example could be of great value. The race is on between the mercantile world and the banking world to sec who has the oldest documentation of @.

(iii)_____

Are the years you (i) ________ at school the best years of your life? Personally, I found most lessons rather uninteresting. We had to sit at our desks in silence and (ii) ________ attention. The teachers used to  write on the blackboard and ask US difficult questions. We also had to do lots of homework, and (iii) ________ it in on time. We had to wear a school uniform, and wc had to obey lots of rules. I left school as soon as I could and started work. I read books al the public library, and later I decided to (iv) ________ college. I really enjoyed studying because I was older and knew that I wanted some (v) ________  When I was at school, I was just the wrong age!

(iii)_____

I don’t usually play tricks on people, but when our boss, Mr Budd, bought himself a new hat, my friend had an idea that was impossible to resist. Every day Mr Budd (i) _______ hang up his hat in the hallway and disappear into his office. So one lunch time we went into town and bought two hats identical to Mr Budd’s, except that one was much larger, and the other much smaller, than his. When we (ii) _______ to the office, we took Mr Budd’s hat off the hook and replaced it with the large one. That evening he put the hat on and went home, saying nothing to anyone in spite of the fact that his hat was resting on his cars. The next day we (iii) _______ the small hat for the large one, and Mr Budd went home with it sitting high on top of his head. He looked a bit worried, but he still didn’t say a word to anyone. This continued for a few weeks. Sometimes we would put Mr Budd’s (iv) _______ hat on the hook, sometimes one of the others. Everyone in the office knew about the joke, except Mr BudD. Eventually, he got so worried that he went to the doctor, (v) _______ that his head was growing and shrinking day by day

(iii)_____

The old version of the hula is the hula kahiko. It is a very melodic and sensuous dance, performed to bring (i) _______ to the senses. The dancers gently move their hips back and forth while singing and telling a story with their fingers. Hula kahikos can be funny fishermen stories, or very serious historical tales. (ii) _______ them were performed to entertain or praise kings or chiefs. But (iii) _______ serious hulas were religious performances made inside a temple. It was a sign of bad luck to make a mistake during a hula performance. Therefore, dancers were secluded inside the temple while learning the dance. They could not (iv) _______ by anybody, and were not allowed to leave until they knew the dance by heart and could execute (v) _______ without any mistakes

(iii)_____

In Korea, in former days, the marriage between a man and woman represented the joining of two families, rather (i) _______ the joining of two individuals. The event (ii) _______ Tacryc (Great Ritual), and people from all over the village or neighborhood participated. The ceremonies and events surrounding the actual marriage were long and (iii) _______. Professional matchmakers paired up likely candidates for marriage, with the new couple often meeting for the first time at their wedding. The families considered many factors in the decision, consulting with fortune tellers for (iv) _______ about the couple’s future life together. During the Chosun period, people married (v) _______ their early teens, with the girl often being several years older than the boy.

(v)______

In retrospect, it is believed that the land (i) _______ by Hcrjolfsson was indeed part of North America, and the first European to actually touch its grounds was (ii) _______ other than the Red’s son, Leif Ericsson. (iii) _______ to follow in his father’s footsteps and become as respected as his parents, Leif Ericsson left Greenland (iv) _______  1,000 AD and sailed southwest towards the promised land.

Evidence unearthed at the arehaeological site of L’Anse aux Meadows proves that the Vikings had landed at three points of the eastern American coast, which (v) _______ termed “Markland” or “forest land” in today’s Labrador, “Hcluland” or “slab-land” after Baffin Island’s rocky landscape, and finally “Vinland” or “vine-land”, located either in New England or

(iv)___

As Key watched the British open fire on Fort McHenry, the massive fort which guarded the harbor, he caught a (i) ________  of the American flag flying in the breeze as cannon volleys caused flashes of gunfire and rising smoke all around the nation’s symbol. As the sun slid behind the edge of the earth and darkness fell, Key watched, waited, and worried as the bombardment continued. He was unable to leam – or even guess – what was transpiring in front of his eyes because he could only see the flashes sent forth by the cannons and gunfire as they targeted the huge fort (ii) ________  that very dark night. In the early morning hours, as Key peered out over the horizon toward the fort’s ramparts to try to determine what had happened during that long night, he saw the glorious sight of the American flag still flying in the breeze. The battle was over. Fort McHenry had withstood the attack. And the flag was still there. The British naval officers permitted Key and the other Americans (iii) ________  to shore, and as he did Key began scribbling furiously on a (iv) ________  of paper the words he believed described the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the thrill he felt after the battle when he saw the American flag still waving in the breeze. Key wrote about the events in verse and within a short time, the Words were put to music. Unofficially, the song became the national Anthem and in 1931, more than a hundred years after the battle at Ft.McHrnry in 1814, the United States Congress passed a law which formally (v) ________  the song as the national anthem.

(ii)____

The old version of the hula is the hula kahiko. It is a very melodic and sensuous dance, performed to bring (i) _______ to the senses. The dancers gently move their hips back and forth while singing and telling a story with their fingers. Hula kahikos can be funny fishermen stories, or very serious historical tales. (ii) _______ them were performed to entertain or praise kings or chiefs. But (iii) _______ serious hulas were religious performances made inside a temple. It was a sign of bad luck to make a mistake during a hula performance. Therefore, dancers were secluded inside the temple while learning the dance. They could not (iv) _______ by anybody, and were not allowed to leave until they knew the dance by heart and could execute (v) _______ without any mistakes

(ii)_____

Musicals are a wonderful (i) _______ of entertainment. While plays are theatrical productions which tell a story through written words of a script and are presented by (ii) _______, musicals are stories told with lyrics and music. In New York, many of the theatres where the famous and well-known musicals are performed are on or near Broadway and (iii) _______ that reason, the musicals are often referred to as “Broadway Musicals”. Some of the lesser known productions, whether theatrical or musical, (iv) _______________ also performed in New York, but these are usually performed in other areas of the city and are referred to as “Off-Broadway” productions. Some of the same musicals being performed in New York are also being performed throughout the world in major cities. And not all musicals are first performed in New York. Sometimes, shows open in London’s West End which is home to numerous theatres (v) _______ musicals, as well as plays, are performed with great frequency and regularity to full-house audiences.

(iii)_____-

Every country has its own traditions, some of which have existed for centuries. In my opinion, we should do everything possible to preserve them. Some people think that in today’s high-tech world, traditional celebrations are too old-fashioned and (i) _______ to our lives. However, events such as Carnival, are important, as they bring communities together and make US think about other people and not just computers. (ii) _______ argument against traditional festivals is that they are expensive to organise. To some extent this is true, particularly when there are firework (iii) _______ or parades. On the other hand, it is a small price to pay for brightening up our lives with entertainment and colour. Moreover, celebrations like the ‘Fallas’ in my home town of Valencia attract many tourists and their money. Finally, although 1 agree that some traditional customs (iv) _______ their original significance, they can provide an opportunity for US to learn about our past. For example, Bonfire Night teaches British children about a particular period of their country’s history. To conclude, traditional celebrations are a source of great pleasure and interest, and they are certainly (v) _______ keeping

(iii)_____

An interesting form of (i) _______ throughout the British Empire in the 18th-19th centuries. At that time, England had established many colonies all around the globe. But these places were very far away. If people came to live there, they did not return to England ever again since traveling (ii) _______ ship was rather long and dangerous. Englishmen who settled in such far-off colonies often found (iii) _______ alone. The only women around were the natives. But (iv) _______ and Dutch saw no trouble in marrying native women, Englishmen were very conservative. They would write letters home and ask relatives or neighbors to send them a local wife. Many women had no dowry so they agreed to the transaction. The man would pay for their ship voyage to the colonies and the woman would work all her life to pay him back. It is believed that these marriages were (v) _______ of all.

(iv)______

The Solar System is (i) _______ the Sun and eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The first four planets are (ii) _______ terrestrial planets because they are rocky. They are smaller and denser than the outer planets. They contain a high amount of metals and they have less gas than the outer planets. Mercury has no atmosphere, but Venus, Earth and Mars have atmospheres of varying thicknesses. Their rotation is slower and their orbits are closer together. The outer four planets are known as gas giants. They are also known as Jovian planets, (iii) _______ the planet Jupiter because of their gigantic Jupiter-like (iv) _______. They have a large diameter and a very thick atmosphere. Although their surfaces contain large amounts of gases, their cores are probably solid. All four Jovian planets have rings although only Saturn’s ring system is (v) _______ from Earth.

(iv)_____-

Deciduous trees are ones that lose its leaves in the autumn and grow new ones in the spring.

As President, Grant had the task of continuing to attempt (i) _______ reunify the American nation after its Civil War. One of Grant’s accomplishments as President was the enactment of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution which ensured voting rights for blacks. Grant is also remembered as the President who signed the bill into law which created America’s first national park – Yellowstone Park. But financial problems throughout the land while Grant was in office (ii) _______ the Panic of 1873.

Grant was criticized for his indecisiveness, failure to lake decisive action, and inability to helo the American economy during the Panic, and in the next elections the (iii) _______  won more scats in Congress and look the Presidency. Several scandals occurred during Grant’s administration. Grant was an (iv) _______ man but had appointed loyal friends and supporters to serve in governmental capacities.

Some of his appointees were involved in the corruption. It is thought that Grant’s early business failures and lack of success in personal relationships with other military leaders and businessman (v) _______ reasons why Grant appointed those who had remained loyal to him and had been nice to him even though they were not political astute.

(v)_____

The seashore or coastline (i) _______ the unique area where seawater borders land to create a diverse and very important ecosystem. It is special in that the freshwater carried along by rivers and streams flows into the ocean and mixes with salt water to provide rich nutrients and food to a variety (ii) _______ marine plants and animals. The wildlife along the coast is part of a never-ending food chain as each tiny insect (iii) _______ on its nourishment on other even smaller creatures; (iv) _______, any human (v) _______ in the life cycle of the seashore will cause irreparable damage to the environment in the long run.

(ii)____

Around 1190, Tcmujjin and his close allies and advisers began to unite many (i) _____ Mongol clans. Using his strong will and charisma, he managed to persuade (ii) _____ of those fighting and warring clans to accept him as the one and only leader. It seems Tcmujjin had a gift, the unusual ability to act as a leader and (iii) _____ respect. Several tribes tried to oppose him. There were a lot of betrayals and killings, but eventually Tcmujjin managed to do what nobody had ever done before: unite all Mongols (iv) _____  one nation in 1206. In honor of his achievements, the Mongol clan chiefs (v) _____Tcmujjin the title Khan, or “leader”.

(i)_____

In (i) _______ times Poland was part of the Russian Empire and began its struggle for independence. Russia managed to (ii) _______ an end to the rebellion for years after persecuted and harassed its Polish citizens, especially those of Jewish origin. Even though Maria was a Catholic born into a gentry’s family, she was a mere female and thus felt that oppression stronger than many others. She was denied entrance into any university and had to work as a governess (iii) _______ the fact that she had once of the highest IQ’s ever (iv) _______ among women. Maria also had an amazing memory and was a workhorse, who neglected food and sleep in order to study and get the job done. (v) _______ those pressures led to a mental breakdown, and Maria was hospitalized for a year after graduating from high school.

(iii)____

The seashore or coastline (i) _______ the unique area where seawater borders land to create a diverse and very important ecosystem. It is special in that the freshwater carried along by rivers and streams flows into the ocean and mixes with salt water to provide rich nutrients and food to a variety (ii) _______ marine plants and animals. The wildlife along the coast is part of a never-ending food chain as each tiny insect (iii) _______ on its nourishment on other even smaller creatures; (iv) _______, any human (v) _______ in the life cycle of the seashore will cause irreparable damage to the environment in the long run.

(iv)____

Gothic cathedrals were decorated with many sculptures and paintings. They all had religious meanings, and were usually stories taken from the Bible or images of Saints. Gothic sculptures are different (i) ______ they are very natural looking. They remained a model for the next generation of sculptors. Gothic paintings appeared (ii) _______  50 years alter Gothic sculptures and buildings. They are very emotional, dark and somber looking. Gothic paintings appear in four different forms. Frescoes are paintings done (iii) _________ on the church wall (iv) _________ panel paintings are done on woodwork.

Illuminated manuscripts are fine paintings done on paper that decorate holy books and pieces of writings.

There is also the art of stained glass done (v) church windows. _______

(iv)_____